Introduction to Marketing

Quick Summary: Marketing is the widest range of all business topics; it is easy to miss a few basic concepts.

Abstract:

Of all the business disciplines and subjects covered in this collection, marketing has, by far, the widest scope of activities. Four year undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in marketing. Many areas of specialization are offered within these programs. Additionally, there are many private sector organizations that provide even more detailed information in specific areas. With so many wide-spread subjects, there are a number of basic marketing issues centered on product placement that are often missed in the fury surrounding initial product announcements.

The length of this chapter, or more properly, the brevity of this chapter, will probably alienate every marketing professional, and for good reason. The subject of marketing is clearly the broadest discipline covered in any of the chapters in this collection. As one example of the scope of marketing, the site http://heidicohen.com/marketing-definition, provides a list of 72 different definitions of marketing. As a further example of the scope of marketing, the list shown below shows the areas of expertise of one marketing company.

Marketing Strategy Messaging Platforms

Brand Management Marketing Plan Creation

Project Management Event Management

Product Management Product & Company Launches

Innovation & Insights Startup Marketing

Marketing Research Personal Development

Website & Social Media Analysis Content Development

Public Relations Competitive Analysis

Corporate & Marketing Communications Video Production & Photo Shoots

Channel Marketing Social Media Strategy

Marketing Automation & CRM Social Media Execution

Website Design PPC, SEO, SEM

Graphic Design Mobile Marketing

As extensive as this list is, there are many more disciplines that could be listed. Finally, marketing represents the largest course of study in most business schools. This chapter does not begin to scratch the surface on any of these areas. Instead, the eighteen articles in the four sections discuss common pitfalls and basic considerations that are often missed. The sections and articles included in this chapter are listed below along with a quick summary of each.

Probably, most experienced marketers could add an article or two to this listing as well. The four sections and their associated articles considerably overlap. Many of the articles could have been placed in different sections.

Adding to the potential confusion, several of the articles in this chapter could have easily been placed in the Sales, Customers, Strategy, and Competition chapters as well. In turn, some of the articles in those chapters could have easily been placed in this chapter.

Finally, the area of Product Marketing is not addressed in this chapter. That subject, with its direct ties to Product Development activities, is addressed in the Development chapter of this collection.

Chapter Sections and Summaries

Marketing Concepts

It is easy to jump into the host of tactical marketing issues and unconsciously assume some of the “givens.” Often, the target market is just assumed to be known without giving some objective high-level thought.

Positioning

It is natural to compare a new offering to existing competitive alternatives and miss the point that competitors are also making comparisons and planning new offerings too.

The Launch

The product launch is a welcomed event representing the completion of the development tasks. However, it must be remembered that it also represents the beginning of an entirely new set of challenges.

Messages

Carefully construct your messages in terms of what you want your customer to hear and remember, and not on what you want to say. There can be a huge difference.

Chapter Articles and Summaries

Introduction to Marketing

Marketing is the widest range of all business topics; it is easy to miss a few basic concepts.